Enthrallment
Enthrallment, also known as mind control, possession, or brainwashing, is a recurring concept within the ''Final Fantasy'' series. It refers to the enslavement of a character, typically either an antagonist or playable character, by an evil power in order to do their bidding. With respect to the antagonists, it is typically not known to the player that they are actually puppets of another evil power until the story develops. The term does not refer to willing servants, but rather to an individual whose mind has been forfeited or has been otherwise strongly compelled to enter into servitude. Appearances ''Final Fantasy II If the player visits Bafsk before they are sent to destroy the ''Dreadnought, the Dark Knight will be present and none of the townspeople will respond to Firion's party. When Firion's party is sent to destroy the Dreadnought, Borghen will have been put in charge of overseeing the construction of the Dreadnought and the townspeople will talk to Firion's party, along with several characters mentioning that they cannot recall anything from when the Dark Knight was present. After the Emperor is slain by Firion's party, the Wild Rose Rebellion learns that the Dark Knight is in fact Leon, Maria's missing brother. Believing him to be under a spell of the Emperor, the party travels to Castle Palamecia to confront Leon. There, the Emperor returns from Hell, mocking Leon's attempt to take the throne. After the party escapes with Leon to Fynn, Maria convinces Leon to join the party, and he aids them in slaying the Emperor once and for all. ''Final Fantasy IV .]] Multiple times in the story, Kain betrays the party in order to serve his new master, Golbez, whom after the incident at Mist Village had apparently placed him under a spell to enthrall him. Golbez is revealed to have been enthralled all along, having been a pawn of Zemus in order to activate the Giant of Babil. Final Fantasy IV -Interlude- Bahamut is the last eidolon summoned by Rydia? after the first four eidolons are defeated. She tries to finish off the party with Bahamut, but the real Rydia appears and summons the Mist Dragon to knock some sense into Bahamut who dismisses himself from battle. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Both Cecil and the eidolons are being controlled by the Mysterious Girls. If the player is not careful, the eidolons can be killed off during battle so the player must make them regain their senses. Final Fantasy V Exdeath is able to possess people after the crystals sealing him have weakened enough; even if his physical body remains trapped, Exdeath's mind is able to control the King of Tycoon and Queen Karnak. Based on a Walse warrior's comments when a Garula attempted to shatter the Water Crystal about it being controlled, Exdeath was also implied to have possessed the Garula as well. Final Fantasy VII All Sephiroth Clones, including Cloud Strife, are subject to the will of Sephiroth and Jenova, especially with regard to the Reunion. Cloud is temporarily subjected to servitude to Sephiroth twice—once at the Temple of the Ancients, and again at the Promised Land, in both cases being made to hand over the Black Materia. Final Fantasy VIII In Part 2, it becomes evident that Edea's malevolent actions are not willful, nor do they comport with her kindly demeanor back when Squall and his friends were in her care as children. She reveals that as a sorceress, her powers and mind were subjected to the will of Ultimecia, who used Junction Machine Ellone to junction herself with sorceresses from the past. When aboard the Lunar Base, Rinoa comes out of a comatose state, only to be possessed by Ultimecia and free Adel from her tomb. Later, as part of Laguna Loire's plan to assassinate Ultimecia, Adel and Rinoa are once again possessed by Ultimecia in order to accomplish Time compression. Final Fantasy X Any new high summoner must nominate a guardian to become the new Sin upon defeating the old one. Jecht, having volunteered to be the next Sin upon Braska's completion of the pilgrimage, is shown to be steadily losing touch with his humanity as he becomes Sin, a gargantuan beast who goes around destroying civilization under the command of Yu Yevon. Final Fantasy X-2 Shuyin, a wandering spirit, is able to possess people and take over their minds. This is seen in Den of Woe where Shuyin possesses the Crimson Squad candidates to kill each other, and later tries to do the same to the Gullwings who enter the cave. Shuyin possesses Nooj, a Crimson Squad survivor, to shoot his friends, and later possesses Baralai and uses him as a host to control Vegnagun. Lenne's spirit is also shown to take possession of Yuna's at times, although much lesser extent to what Shuyin is doing. Final Fantasy XIV Primals can enthrall beings in a process that gradually erodes the will of the affected until they become single-mindedly devoted to the Primal, as worship is one of the means by which a Primal can sustain itself in Eorzea. Those with the power of Echo cannot be enthralled. This process is considered irreversible and incurable; as such, most authorities have enthralled victims exterminated to weaken the Primals. It is also possible for a Primal to relinquish its claim, but only Bahamut has ever been observed of doing so. Each Primal has its unique enthrall. *Ifrit: Uses a blue flame for "tempering" prisoners: *Leviathan: Those enthralled to him are known as "drowned", usually being chiefly the Serpent Reavers. *Odin: Mortals forced into Odin's servitude are tentatively called "sundered", and only one such sundered exists at a given time. Other Primals are not as prone to using enthralling: Titan and Ramuh chiefly as a defensive measure, while Ravana and Garuda prefer acting out their obsessions. The Elder Primal Bahamut had enthralled Nael van Darnus, while he used Meteor to call down Dalamud, and Louisoix Leveilleur, whom he made into a protector within the Binding Coil of Bahamut. The Ascians possess their own method of enthrall, using the power of the Dark Crystal to turn a mortal into a host body to act through. They themselves were tempered upon summoning Zodiark to avert the Calamity besieging their world. Due to the Ascians having the Echo as well, the extent of their brainwashing is unknown, as each of the Paragons of the Source have their own motives for reviving the elder primal as well as a degree of free will. Final Fantasy XV enslaved by the Starscourge.]] Those who become infected by Starscourge become twisted and bloodthirsty, but also lose their humanity. Ardyn Izunia can turn others into daemons, and after he turns Ravus Nox Fleuret, he begins to turn into a mindless monster and begs Noctis and his retinue to kill him. Ardyn has also turned Ifrit to serve the forces of the dark, leading to Shiva to ask Noctis to release him. Ardyn brainwashes three rulers of yore to submit to his darkness and pits them as obstacles on Noctis Lucis Caelum's path to the throne room (''Windows and Royal Editions only). ''Final Fantasy Legend III'' Lara was taken by Dogra to the Southeast Cave, and Granny came to rescue her. Arthur persuades Granny to let them take care of Dogra. Arthur eventually find Lara within the cave, but she's been brainwashed and engages the party into a battle. Once she has been defeated, she returns to normal and joins the party. Etymology Category:Recurring story elements